Text Size

Final countdown in Virginia

Near the end of a 20-minute stump speech, Cuccinelli went on a standard riff about the contributions of founding fathers Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and James Madison.

Then the Republican turned to the case of Thomas Haynesworth, a man who spent 27 years behind bars for rapes he did not commit. Cuccinelli played a key role in the fight to exonerate him in 2011, and Haynesworth now works in the attorney general’s office.

“We will fight for liberty,” Cuccinelli said, “whether it’s against the largest opponent in the world – the federal government of the United States – or whether it’s for one single person who sits in a jail cell wrongfully convicted.”

“You’re a good man,” a woman in the crowd yelled.

Cuccinelli paused for several seconds as his eyes filled with tears. He appeared to look toward his wife, and then he continued.

“It applies across the board,” he said, his voice quaking. “The principles of 1776 apply as much in 2013 as they did in 1776. They are universal and timeless. They apply everywhere all the time.”

It was a rare flash of emotion from a candidate who has run a buttoned-down campaign. He quickly regained his composure.

Asked about the episode afterward, he said getting Haynesworth out of jail is “a big deal to me.”

“He is an admirable human being,” said Cuccinelli. “I’ll tell you what: I don’t know that I would handle that with the grace with which he has. He is inspirational to me.”

With an election looking like it could be out of reach, Cuccinelli got sentimental.

“If that alone is worth 10 years of candidate work, it really is,” said Cuccinelli. “It was so meaningful to me, and it’s something that I hope to continue from a different position as governor.”